This Week on the God Discussion Show – The Inquisition, Witch Hunts and Scientology

The Inquisition, African witch hunts, and a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology are our topics on the God Discussion Show this Thursday night, February 16. An impressive roster of guests will be joining us for a show you won’t want to miss.

1st Hour – Cullen Murphy, God’s Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World.

We hear, and often use, the phrase “the Inquisition,” but what does it really mean? Cullen Murphy explores the Catholic Church’s nearly 700-year-persecution of its enemies, real and imagined, and ties it to what we see happening around us in the modern world. Drawing on his rare access to the Vatican’s Inquisition archive, Murphy’s scholarship in God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World reveals surprising new facts. “The Inquisition is no longer just about religious persecution, or even just about religion. And it’s a mistake to think of it as something that’s ‘medieval’ – or even as something safely relegated to the past,” he says.

Cullen Murphy is the former managing editor of the Atlantic Monthly. He is the author of Are We Rome?, The Word According to Eve, and the collection of essays published under the title, Just Curious. He is currently the editor-at-large for Vanity Fair magazine.

Self-proclaimed witch hunterHelen Ukpabio is planning to spearhead a “Marathon Deliverance” in Houston in mid-March, and activist Staise Gonzalez is organizing the protest against the Liberty Gospel Church’s efforts to bring Ukpabio into the United States for a 12-day “deliverance” marathon to save people from witchcraft attacks. Those familiar with the atrocities against African children in the name of Christianity will recognize Ukpabio, the popular Christian “apostle,” who was featured in the film, Saving Africa's Witch Children. Helen Ukpabio’s gospel of hate — promoted through her publications, films and sermons — fuels witchcraft accusations against children in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, who suffer discrimination, violence, torture and death.

A resident of Houston, the dynamic Staise Gonzalaz organizes atheist and freethought events in Texas and is featured at Atheist Nexis. Not only is she organizing the protest against Ukpadio’s visit (which is open to all), but she has also launched a fundraising effort to benefit the United Kingdom-based Stepping Stones Nigeria, a charity that works to combat the atrocities of Ukpabio and others like her by providing these abused children with an education, healthcare, clothing, counseling, refuge and protection.

Bottom of the 2nd Hour – Attorney Luke Lirot, The Estate of Kyle Thomas Brennan v. The Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization.

February 16 will mark the 5th anniversary of Kyle Thomas Brennan’s death. Luke Lirot is the attorney for Victoria Britton, Kyle’s mother and executor of his estate.

Kyle was a 20-year-old Catholic college student from Charlottesville, VA (seememorial site). He was visiting his Scientologist father Tom Brennan in Clearwater, FL when he died.

Lirot has just filed an appeal in the Estate’s wrongful-death suit, which names as defendants Tom Brennan, his Scientology "auditor" Denise Gentile (the twin sister of Scientology leader David Miscavige), her husband Jerry Gentile and Flag Service Organization, which runs the Church’s operation in Clearwater.

Kyle was taking Lexapro for depression and social anxiety and was an adamant critic of his father’s Scientology beliefs. The wrongful death suit centers on Scientology’s views on psychiatry and medication and alleges that the day before his death Tom took Kyle’s Lexapro and locked it in his vehicle.

Kyle was shot in the head with a bullet from Tom’s Magnum 357. There are some disturbing factual allegations surrounding this case that we will discuss on the show. If the appeal is granted the case will begin de novo with the possibility that new evidence and new depositions will be permitted, depending on the court's rulings.

Luke Lirot received his law degree from the University of San Francisco and practices in Clearwater. He is a past president of the First Amendment Lawyers Association. He has gained prominence over many years for his success in First Amendment cases and particularly for his victorious defense of adult entertainment rights in /Voyeur Dorm v. City of Tampa, FL.

The show airs live on BlogTalkRadio (you can hear it via your computer) at 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern. We cover news for the first 10-15 minutes and then join the guests. Calls are welcome and encouraged and as always, our web-based chatroom will be open during the live show and we'll follow your questions/comments as best we can. If you miss the show, you can listen to an MP3 download via Blog Talk Radio or iTunes (see the Blog Talk Radio widget on the bottom of this and every page on GodDiscussion.com). The link for the February 16 show is here.

About D. Beeksma

One of the growing crowd of American "nones" herself, Deborah is a prolific writer who finds religion, spirituality and the impact of belief (and non-belief) on culture inspiring, fascinating and at times, disturbing. She hosts the God Discussion show and handles the site's technical work. Her education and background is in business, ecommerce and law.